Brace and support.



,No. 888,911. PATENTED DEC. 18, 1906.

' E. E." SEAORIST.

BRAOE AND SUPPORT.

APPLIOATION mam MAB. 9, 190a.

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I 4 by s PETERS cu. WASHINGYON, n. c.

ELIVOOD E. SEACRIST, OF VANDERGRIFT, PENNSYLVANIA.

BRACE AND SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 18, 1906.

Application filed March 9, 1906. Serial No. 305,160.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELwooD E. SEAORIST, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Vandergrift, in the county of estmoreland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Braces and Supports, of which the had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in braces and supports; and the invention relates more particularly to a brace or support adapted to be used in a trench for supporting retaining-walls or employed for elevating the cope part of amolder s flask for the purpose of finishing the same overhead.

To this end my invention aims to provide a novel form of adjustable brace or support capable of being easily and quickly adjusted. The brace or support is provided with movable toothed heads adapted to engage the retaining-walls which they brace, said heads permitting of the brace being placed at an inclination or equalizing itself relative to said heads.

The invention further aims to provide a brace consisting of comparatively few parts which are extremely simple in construction, strong and durable, and comparatively inexpensive to manufacture.

With the above and other objects in view, which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the

same consists in the novel construction, combinations and arrangement of parts to be here inafter more fully described and claimed, and, referring to the drawings accompanying this application, like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved brace or support as positioned between two retaining-walls within a trench. Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating the brace or support as adjusted to support two retaining-walls. Fig. 3 is a plan of the brace or support illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. side elevation of my improved brace or support as slightly modified and constructed for use in connection with molders flasks. Fig. 5 is a plan of an operating-lever used in connection with the brace or support. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line :0 9c ofFig. 1, and Fig. 7 is a plan of a portion of the brace Fig.4 is a outwardly-extending arm 8, u on the end of which is pivotally mounted a ead 4, having teeth 5. The casing l is provided with two diametrically-opposed openings 6 and 7, and

I, adjacent to the openings 6 are formed outfollowing is a speclfication, reference being wardly-extending pierced lugs 8 8, between which is mounted a dog 9, having a handle 10. The handle 10 is normally held in an elevated position by a coiled spring 11, interposed between said handle and the casing 1. The casing is suitably recessed, as at 12, to form a seat for the lower end of the spring, while the handle 10 of the dog 9 is provided with a depending teat or lug 14, engaging in the spring 11 to prevent said spring from becoming detached from the handle 10 of the dog 9.

The casing 1 at each side of the openings 7 is provided with depending pierced lugs 15 15. J ournaled in said lugs is a shaft 16, having a rectangular end or button 17 Mounted upon the shaft 16 is a pinion 18, said pinion extending upwardly to the slot 7 of the easing 1 to mesh with a toothed bar 19, slidably mounted in the casing 1. also provided with teeth 20, with which the dog 9 engages to hold the bar 19 in a fixed extended position.

The toothed bar is 1 To prevent the bar 19 from'wabbling or said lever being adapted to fit over the rectangular end or button 17 of the shaft 16 in order that the pinion 18 may be revolved to impart a reciprocatory movement to the bar 19 when the dog 9 is disengaged therefrom.

The application of my improved brace or support within a trench is clearly illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, where it will be observed that the heads 4 and 24 of the brace engage retaining walls or boards 26 26 for preventing the trench-walls 27 27 from crumbling or caving in. In Fig. 2 of the drawings the brace or support is illustrated or support illustratedinFigAof the drawings. i as used in a trench of a greater width than that of Fig. 1, thus showing the brace or sup port as having the bar 19 adjusted to retain the heads 4 and 24 in engagement with the boards 26 26. The bar 19 is adjusted through the medium of the pinion 18 and the lever 25 until the brace or support is firmly held between the retaining-boards 26 26, this positioning of the brace or support causing the teeth of the heads 4 and 24 to engage in the boards and prevent the brace from becoming accidentally displaced until the dog 9 is released to remove the same.

In Fig. 4 of the drawings I have illus-- trated my iinprovedbrace or support as having" an enl'arged base or end-28, the enlarged end or base being used in lieu of the arm 3 and the head 4. When so constructed, the brace or support resembles somewhat a jack or hydraulic lift, and I have found by actual practice that the brace or support so constructed forms a useful and expedient tool for molders When finishing a mold overhead. However, is obvious that the brace orsupportmaybe readily used for other purposes. Therefore I do not care'to confine myself to any specific use to which the brace or support maybe applied. To permit of the support being readily manipulated when used by molders, the dog 9 can be provided with a stirrup 9 which embraces the casing 1., the outer end of the stirrup having a conven- 'tional' form of tread, whereby when the stirrup is pressed upon it will pull inwardly upon the dog and release the bar 19.

The. brace or support is preferably constructed ofstrong and durable metal, and the simplicity of construction permits of the same beingeasily and quickly manipulated by unskilled labor, and the few parts and their compact arrangement employed in connection with the brace permit of the same being roughly handled without being damaged or injured.

Suchchanges inthe construction and operation of my improved brace or support as are permissible by the appended claims may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A ditch-brace comprising an oblong casing closed at one end and open at the other end, an arm carried by the closed end of said casing, a toothed head pivotally mounted on the outer end of said arm, a pair of lugs 8, carried on one face of said casing, and a pair of lugs 15, carried by the opposite face of the casing, ribs formed on opposite sides of the inner face of said casing, a bar slidable in the open end of the casing and having grooves in opposite side faces to receive said ribs, a toothed head. pivotally mounted on the outer end of said bar, rack-teeth'formed on one face of the bar, and ratchet-teeth on the op posite face thereof, a spring-pressed dog pivotally mounted in the lugs 8 and having one end protruding through an opening in the casing and engaging the ratchet-teeth of the bar, a shaft journaled in the lugs 15, and a pinion mounted on said shaft and projecting through an opening inthe casing and engaging the ratchet-teeth on the'bar.

2. The combination of a casing having an open end and having interior longitudinal ribs, an engaging member projecting from the opposite end of said casing, a bar slidable in the open end of the casing and having grooves in its side faces to receive said ribs, an engaging member on the outer end of said bar, ratchet-teeth on one face of the bar and rack-teeth on the opposite face thereof, lugs projecting from one face of the casing, a spring-pressed dog pivotally mounted in said lugs and projecting through an opening in the easing into engagement with the'ratchetteeth of the bar, lugs projecting from the opposite face of the casing, a shaft journaled in said lugs, and a pinion on said shaft protruding through an opening in the casing and 

